Who painted Virgin and Child with Four Angels?

Virgin and Child with Four Angels was painted by Sano di Pietro in 1470.

Where can I see Virgin and Child with Four Angels?

Virgin and Child with Four Angels is held by Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

What movement is Virgin and Child with Four Angels?

Virgin and Child with Four Angels is associated with Early Renaissance.

Artwork

Virgin and Child with Four Angels

Sano di Pietro , 1470

Virgin and Child with Four Angels is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Sano di Pietro. It dates from 1470 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1470, this tempera panel by Sano di Pietro portrays the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ. The composition is centered on the mother and child, flanked by four angels, and is part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Subject & Meaning

The work presents a conventional devotional scene: Mary, dressed in a dark blue mantle over a pink undergarment, cradles the Christ Child, whose golden halo signals his divinity. The surrounding angels, each bearing a halo and vivid red, blue, or yellow robes, appear to attend the holy pair, emphasizing reverence and celestial protection.

Technique & Style

Executed in egg tempera, the painting displays the medium’s characteristic fine brushwork and luminous color layers. Sano di Pietro employs delicate modeling for the figures’ pale faces and smooth drapery, while the bright, saturated hues of the angels’ garments contrast with the more subdued tones of the Virgin’s attire.

History & Provenance

The panel has remained in private and institutional hands before entering the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s Italian Renaissance holdings. Its attribution to Sano di Pietro, a prominent Sienese painter of the mid‑15th century, is supported by stylistic analysis.

Context

During the late 15th century, Sienese artists often produced intimate devotional images for private chapels or personal devotion. This painting reflects that tradition, combining a tender mother‑child interaction with the symbolic presence of angels, a motif common in contemporary religious art.